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*But Were Afraid to Ask

Thank you to author and artist, Susan Singer, for this guest post on the power and use of affirmations. Try them for birth, for your health, your mental state and well-being, and even for goal-setting and reaching your dreams. Here, Susan walks us through the whys and how-tos of using affirmations.

What is an affirmation?

An affirmation is a positive statement of belief. Ex:I am happy and prosperous.

When did affirmations start?

Affirmations have been around for as long as people could speak – we all know people with sunny dispositions who tend to look on the bright side of life – but in 1952, affirmations became mainstream when Norman Vincent Peale published ThePower of Positive Thinking.It stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks and has since sold around five million copies.This small book introduced affirmations and the power of thinking positively to millions of avid readers who were ready for a shift in their thinking.

In 1978, Louise Hay wrote Heal Your Bodywhich began as a small pamphlet containing a list of different bodily ailments and their probable metaphysical causes. Her premise is that the way we think actually helps cause our physical ailments, and that if we examine those beliefs and work with affirmations to change them, we can heal ourselves.Her pamphlet was later enlarged and extended into her bookYou Can Heal Your Life, published in 1984 and has since sold over 35 million copies.

One of my favorites of her affirmations is about urinary tract infections about which, she says:Probable cause: Anxiety. Holding on to old ideas. Fear of letting go. Being pissed off.New thought pattern: I comfortably and easily release the old and welcome the new in my life. I am safe.